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About the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources

A Leader in Life Sciences Exploration

From the discovery of diagnostic tests to ensure food safety to the creation of cloned pigs that can serve as models for human health research, the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) is preparing the next generation of geneticists, economists, journalists, veterinarians, educators, policy makers, farmers and physicians.

Ernie R. and Lotti M. S. Sears Plant Growth Facility
The Ernie and Lottie Sears Plant Growth Facility provides a high-tech workspace for MU plant research. The structure spans nearly one-half acre and allows scientists to have precise control over the environment.

Today, as life sciences drive a revolution of innovative discoveries, CAFNR faculty, staff and students continue to lead the way to advances in food production, human health and nutrition, and environmental protection.

World-Class Teaching

CAFNR researchers have remained at the forefront of scientific discovery since the College was established in 1870 and maintains one of the campus' strongest teaching faculties. Since 1999, the campus-wide Governor's Award for Excellence in Teaching has been awarded to a CAFNR faculty member four times. Four CAFNR faculty members have won the prestigious National USDA teaching award.

Diverse Degree Programs

Serving 2,100 undergraduate and 400 graduate students, CAFNR offers 15 degree programs — from animal sciences and biochemistry to journalism and hotel and restaurant management — to serve the largest industries in the world — food and fiber production and distribution.

This diversity allows students to tailor their degrees to individual career goals and provides opportunities to work in state-of-the-art facilities with faculty who are the campus leaders in research dollars received. Students study side-by-side with molecular biologists and plant geneticists to unravel the complexities of plant genomics. They work with sociologists, economists and foresters to tackle issues not just of production agriculture, but also of quality of life and economic opportunity.

Cutting-Edge Research

Our faculty conduct cutting-edge research in a wide range of fields. Site-specific research occurs around the state on more than 14,500 acres at the 21 farms and centers of the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the college. Our students conduct meaningful research projects under the guidance of outstanding scientists at these locations.

Extended Knowledge

Through a wide variety of programs, field days and publications, and stories for radio, newspapers, and television we extend the research-based knowledge and problem-solving resources of the University of Missouri. Our faculty write and review many of the popular publications found on the MU Extension Web site.

Our Vision

We will be recognized as a customer and employee-caring College that discovers and enlightens through excellence in teaching, research, extension and outreach in agriculture and natural resources programs that are socially sensitive, environmentally responsible, economically viable and efficiently productive.

Value Statement

CAFNR strongly endorses the principles embodied in MU's value statement - respect, responsibility, discovery and excellence. In that context, we seek to recruit and retain outstanding scholars who are:

  • Committed to blending service with scholarship
  • Leaders
  • Good colleagues who will collaborate with others from diverse disciplines and backgrounds
  • Flexible and adaptable in an era of rapid change

Diversity Statement

CAFNR aspires to build a community where diversity is embraced through educational and program excellence that we feel leads to:

  • Respect for others.
  • Awareness of choices.
  • Variety of experiences.
  • Understanding of issues.
  • A community where we all feel safe to cross boundaries.

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